PASSOVER SPONGECAKE WITH APPLES

Passover Spongecake with Apples image

Yield Serves 8 to 10

Number Of Ingredients 9

1/2 cup matzo cake meal
1/4 cup potato starch
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and thinly sliced

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Make batter:
Sift cake meal with potato starch.
Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until pale and very thick.
Stir in zest and juice.
Beat whites with salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.
Fold cake-meal mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in whites in 3 batches.
Assemble cake:
Stir together remaining tablespoon sugar and cinnamon.
Spoon one third of batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan.
Top with half of apple slices and sprinkle with half of cinnamon sugar. Repeat with half of remaining batter and remaining apples and cinnamon sugar. Gently spread remaining batter over apples, smoothing top.
Bake cake in middle of oven until top is golden and firm and a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then loosen edge with a knife and remove side of pan. Cool completely.